bigdawgwill44

looking for the all-purpose varmint caliber gun. This will strictly be for varmit, cyote/bobcat/prarie dogs/ground squirrel etc. I was looking at the 22-250, .204, .220 swift, or .223. Money is not an issue when purchasing rounds so don't say .223 just because of ammo choice. Which caliber do you like? Is there another caliber i am missing? Also, no 243's.

HEAD0001

300 yards and in I hunt varmints with my 223. 300-600 yards I like the 22-250 with a faster 1in8 twist so I can shoot the heavy pills. Unfortunately most 22-250's have the slower 1in14 or 1in12 twist. But you can get a 1in8 if you want to spend a little extra money.

I prefer the 223 for the closer shots because you can see your impacts. You can see impacts with a 22-250 if you put the right combination together, but it has to be awfully heavy.

If you are shooting factory ammo I would select the Black Hills ammo. Tom.

bigdawgwill44

would it make sense to have the 22-250 just in case i make a shot that long, even though i probably won't?

eldeguello

You will never go wrong with a .22/250 as a varmint rifle. Personally, I would get a .220 Swift, since I have always wanted one since I first heard of them about 60 years ago. So far, I havealways had an IMMEDIATE NEED for a different caliber, so I just never got around to getting aSwift. I know it is not any better than the .22/250. But it has always seemed a bit mysterious.....

DANTHEHUNTER

Here is my choice ruger M77MKII Target .220 swift!!! Reloads 40 grain v-max with 43 grains H414 4150fps avg.

bigdawgwill44

compare the .220 swift to the 22-250.

jtb1967

The swift is normally 50-100 fps faster in factory loads with the same bullet weight. The 22-250 gives you a lot more factory loads to chose from if you don't handload. If you do handload, the 22-250 also does have quite the neck streching problems that the swift seems to have. I've owned them both, but the 22-250 if my favorite of the two.

cjwink

22-250

HEAD0001

The distance you will be hunting should define your purchase. I would go with the 22-250 if you would have an occasional longer shot. If you were not going to take the longer shots then I would go with the 223 Remington. You can stretch the 223 out a bit past 300 yards, but not much more(it depends on what you are hunting).

You said money was not an issue?? I would still go with the 22-250 over the 220 SWift-if only for a better selection of ammo. If you are not a hand loader then 220 Swift ammo can be hard to find.

I have owned and hunted with the 22-250 and the Swift. They are real close to each other. The Swift has a slight edge. Maybe 2 or 3%. I believe the 22-250 is an easier cartridge to reload for. All the ones I have shot have been a bit more accurate than the 2--220 swift's I have had(but that could have easily been the rifle and not the cartridge). Tom.

DANTHEHUNTER

Just go to Hornadays web site that will some you the differnce.I just like my swift it will shoot with all the varmint rifles around here and if you reload it can show some marked improvement over most .22 cal center fires.